A-Level Sociology Past Papers & Drilling (Paper 2): Family Roles and Diversity

Question 1

(Q1) 4 marks: two types – the nuclear family (a couple and their dependent children) and the lone-parent family (one parent with children); also acceptable: step (reconstituted) families, same-sex coupled families, extended families and single-person households.

(Q2a) 6 marks: (1) changing norms and law – divorce became easier and cohabitation stopped being seen as deviant as religious and community control weakened, so living together became an acceptable step towards, or substitute for, marriage; (2) economic and gender-role change – women’s education and employment rose, reducing economic dependence, while housing and living costs encouraged couples to delay or forgo formal marriage. Answers should combine a social trend with a sociological explanation and some supporting evidence.

(Q2b) 10 marks: Strengths – functionalism links the family to social structure (reproduction and socialisation, emotional support, an economic unit) and gives a clear framework for comparing what families do for society. Limitations – it assumes harmony, ignoring power and conflict inside families (violence, the domestic division of labour, unequal resources); it treats the nuclear form as the standard and marginalises other family types; and its account of function is often male-centred, given that women carry emotional and care work. Judgement: functionalism is useful for institutional relationships but understanding change and inequality requires conflict and feminist perspectives.

(Q3a) 6 marks: the quotation takes a functionalist line: the nuclear family reliably provides socialisation (children learning social norms) and emotional support (adults stabilised emotionally) and fits an industrial society of geographical mobility and economic specialisation, so it is held to meet social needs best.

(Q3b) 8 marks: (1) family diversity – the invented stimulus distribution in this paper shows that only 44.0% of 100 households contain a couple or lone parent with children, while single-person households are 30% and the mean household size is 2.42 people, so treating the nuclear family as the standard misdescribes reality; (2) other forms perform the same functions – lone-parent and reconstituted families also provide care and support, and research suggests children’s outcomes depend on the quality of relationships and access to resources rather than structure alone. A counter-argument is that the nuclear family still has advantages in transferring resources, since tax, housing and welfare rules often assume it, so the quotation is not wholly wrong – but “best meets the needs” cannot be sustained.

Section B essay example (26 marks, one of two): “Assess the view that conjugal roles have become more equal in modern families.” Answers should set evidence for the symmetrical family (shared decisions, some task sharing) against counter-evidence (women still doing most housework and emotional work, the double burden) and conclude by reference to differences between groups and societies.

Question 2

(Q1) 4 marks: two trends – (1) fewer than half of households contain children: couples with children 28% and lone parents 16%, together 44.0%; (2) single-person households are the largest single type at 30%, more than couples without children (26%) or lone parents (16%); students may also note a mean household size of only 2.42 people, showing smaller households. (These figures were invented for this paper; real analysis needs official statistics.)

(Q2a) 6 marks: (1) demographic and life-course factors – an ageing population means more widowed older people living alone, while young adults delay marriage and childbearing, extending the single period; (2) socio-economic factors – rising divorce and greater female economic independence, with urban housing and rental markets making solo living feasible. Each reason should be tied to a sociological explanation such as individualisation.

(Q2b) 10 marks: Strengths – wide coverage over many years allows comparison and provides trends and distributions (household types and sizes) cheaply and repeatably, an excellent descriptive base. Limitations – definition problems, since “family” and “household” are not the same thing and living together does not prove kinship; rigid categories that struggle with reconstituted, same-sex and transnational families; reporting error on sensitive items; and it measures form, not the quality of relationships. Judgement: official statistics are strong on scale and trend but research on family experience needs interviews or ethnography.

(Q3a) 6 marks: the quotation claims that diversification has cost the family its institutional standing: without a stable standard form, its role as the core unit of socialisation and reproduction is weakened – a common theme in “family decline” argument.

(Q3b) 8 marks: (1) the functions continue – diversity is not the same as disappearance: in the data a 44.0% share of households still contains children, and single-person and childless households take part in cross-household care and resource transfer, for example supporting older parents; (2) institutional standing is sustained by law and policy, since marriage, inheritance, tax and housing rules still treat the family as a unit, so the family has been re-institutionalised rather than weakened; a counter-argument remains that the single standard form has disappeared. The conclusion should distinguish change in form from continuity of function.

Question 1

Households with children = (28 + 16) / 100 x 100 = 44.0%; mean size = (30×1 + 26×2 + 28×4 + 16×3) / 100 = 242 / 100 = 2.42 people. A mean here must be weighted by the number of units; averaging the group sizes directly gives a misleadingly low figure.

Question 2

Section A = 60 – 26 = 34 marks; essay time = 90 – 50 = 40 minutes. At the standard of 1.5 minutes per mark a 26-mark essay needs about 39 minutes, so Section A should be finished inside roughly 51 minutes – time each section with a watch when drilling.